CDGL survey finds almost half milk, beverages tainted
4,637 out of these were found safe, while, 2,364 were found adulterated and unfit for consumption.
LAHORE:
About 43.2 per cent of the milk samples and 44.44 per cent of the beverages samples were found unfit for human consumption in a survey conducted by the food laboratory of the city district government of Lahore (CDGL).
The survey was conducted, from January 1, 2010, to June 30, 2010, to check the quality of food commodities in accordance with the Pure Food Rules of 2007.
Shahid Khan, a public analyst at the food laboratory, told The Express Tribune that a report, based on the survey findings, has been submitted to the Food Department for appropriate action.
The Food Department collected 7,001 samples of food items including milk, milk products, oil and fats, spices, beverages, fruit and vegetable products, cereals, sweets and baking products, sweetening agents and cooked and uncooked foods.
4,637 out of these were found safe, while, 2,364 were found adulterated and unfit for consumption.
The penalties, under the Pure Food Rules of 2007, for those involved in producing and selling adulterated foodstuff include fines of up to Rs2 million and imprisonment for up to 14 years.
A senior Food Department official said that spurious food colours, banned by the CDGL, were being used to prepare soft drinks and other edibles. The food items so prepared, he said, could cause hepatitis, stomach diseases, cholera, tonsillitis, dysentery, gastroenteritis, tuberculosis and typhoid.
He said that the sale of adulterated soft drinks was most common at and around bus stands and markets in low-income neighbourhoods. He added that these products were also being sold at some departmental stores.
He said that the Food Department had identified around 300 factories where products of multi-national companies were being faked. These products, he said, were being wrapped on sophisticated machines in a manner that made them indistinguishable from the original.
“There factories are located mostly in Baghbanpura, Sandah, Ichhra, Gujjarpura, Daroghawala, Shadbagh, Bund Road, Bhasin, Manawan, Chuhng, Kahna and Walled City areas,” he added.
He said that some manufacturers were even purchasing used soft drink bottles (both disposable and non-disposable) from garbage collectors. He said these bottles were used to fill up substandard drinks, without removing the bacteria and other contaminants in the recommended manner. “They do not follow standard procedures.
They just wash those bottles in tap water,” he added.
A total of 2,095 milk samples were collected, of which 905 were found adulterated and 1,190 declared fit for use. Of the 1,249 samples of beverages (including soft drinks, squashes, fruit punches and sherbets), 554 were adulterated and 695 safe.
A CDGL official said that about 100 illegal factories faking soft drinks of prominent international brands were sealed from July 2009 to July 2010 but most of them had apparently reopened, with new names in other areas.
Dr Masood Ashraf, the district officer (Food), said that the Food Department had recently confiscated 612 spurious soft drink bottles in three raids in a special Ramazan drive. He complained that the adulterators arrested and presented with challans in the past had been granted bails by the courts and were roaming free. He said that the lack of manpower was a major hurdle in the department’s way to take the adulterators to task. He said that there were only nine food inspectors for a city with a population of around 9 million.
SA Hameed, the former chairman of the task force on essential items and food stamp scheme, said that under the new rules the producers of bread, soft drinks, ice-creams and other milk products, tomato ketchups and other sauces were bound to print the ingredients, and manufacturing and expiry dates on the covers of their products.
The food laboratory declared adulterated 34.6 per cent (117 out of 338) samples of milk products, 30.8 per cent (152 out of 494) samples of oils and fats, 16 per cent (133 out of 813) samples of spices, 27.9 per cent (100 out of 359) samples of fruit and vegetable products, 21.9 per cent (91 out of 415) samples of cereals, 21.6 per cent (163 out of 755) samples of sweets and baking products, 32.2 per cent (49 out of 152) samples of sweetening agents and 68.1 per cent (214 out of 314) samples of cooked and uncooked items.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 23rd, 2010.
About 43.2 per cent of the milk samples and 44.44 per cent of the beverages samples were found unfit for human consumption in a survey conducted by the food laboratory of the city district government of Lahore (CDGL).
The survey was conducted, from January 1, 2010, to June 30, 2010, to check the quality of food commodities in accordance with the Pure Food Rules of 2007.
Shahid Khan, a public analyst at the food laboratory, told The Express Tribune that a report, based on the survey findings, has been submitted to the Food Department for appropriate action.
The Food Department collected 7,001 samples of food items including milk, milk products, oil and fats, spices, beverages, fruit and vegetable products, cereals, sweets and baking products, sweetening agents and cooked and uncooked foods.
4,637 out of these were found safe, while, 2,364 were found adulterated and unfit for consumption.
The penalties, under the Pure Food Rules of 2007, for those involved in producing and selling adulterated foodstuff include fines of up to Rs2 million and imprisonment for up to 14 years.
A senior Food Department official said that spurious food colours, banned by the CDGL, were being used to prepare soft drinks and other edibles. The food items so prepared, he said, could cause hepatitis, stomach diseases, cholera, tonsillitis, dysentery, gastroenteritis, tuberculosis and typhoid.
He said that the sale of adulterated soft drinks was most common at and around bus stands and markets in low-income neighbourhoods. He added that these products were also being sold at some departmental stores.
He said that the Food Department had identified around 300 factories where products of multi-national companies were being faked. These products, he said, were being wrapped on sophisticated machines in a manner that made them indistinguishable from the original.
“There factories are located mostly in Baghbanpura, Sandah, Ichhra, Gujjarpura, Daroghawala, Shadbagh, Bund Road, Bhasin, Manawan, Chuhng, Kahna and Walled City areas,” he added.
He said that some manufacturers were even purchasing used soft drink bottles (both disposable and non-disposable) from garbage collectors. He said these bottles were used to fill up substandard drinks, without removing the bacteria and other contaminants in the recommended manner. “They do not follow standard procedures.
They just wash those bottles in tap water,” he added.
A total of 2,095 milk samples were collected, of which 905 were found adulterated and 1,190 declared fit for use. Of the 1,249 samples of beverages (including soft drinks, squashes, fruit punches and sherbets), 554 were adulterated and 695 safe.
A CDGL official said that about 100 illegal factories faking soft drinks of prominent international brands were sealed from July 2009 to July 2010 but most of them had apparently reopened, with new names in other areas.
Dr Masood Ashraf, the district officer (Food), said that the Food Department had recently confiscated 612 spurious soft drink bottles in three raids in a special Ramazan drive. He complained that the adulterators arrested and presented with challans in the past had been granted bails by the courts and were roaming free. He said that the lack of manpower was a major hurdle in the department’s way to take the adulterators to task. He said that there were only nine food inspectors for a city with a population of around 9 million.
SA Hameed, the former chairman of the task force on essential items and food stamp scheme, said that under the new rules the producers of bread, soft drinks, ice-creams and other milk products, tomato ketchups and other sauces were bound to print the ingredients, and manufacturing and expiry dates on the covers of their products.
The food laboratory declared adulterated 34.6 per cent (117 out of 338) samples of milk products, 30.8 per cent (152 out of 494) samples of oils and fats, 16 per cent (133 out of 813) samples of spices, 27.9 per cent (100 out of 359) samples of fruit and vegetable products, 21.9 per cent (91 out of 415) samples of cereals, 21.6 per cent (163 out of 755) samples of sweets and baking products, 32.2 per cent (49 out of 152) samples of sweetening agents and 68.1 per cent (214 out of 314) samples of cooked and uncooked items.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 23rd, 2010.